The Ultimate NXT Draft: Picks 61-70

NXT definitely has too much talent, because picks 61-70 has a great mix of established stars and young wrestlers with TONS of potential. I start with a potential pick, and Jonah ends with The Finest.

61. Joe selects Lacey Lane

Joe: Lacey Lane is building up quite the following, and I think she is going to have a big impact when she starts making frequent appearances on TV. She’s very athletic and brings a lot of fire to the women’s division, despite her diminutive size.

Jonah: Lane sounds like a pretty good wrestler and has a good athletic background. She played D II basketball which is impressive considering I tower over her. Looks like a good pick for you here Joe, well done.

62. Jonah selects Danny Burch

Jonah: Danny Burch is interchangeable with Oney Lorcan and I got him 30 picks later. He’s good in the ring, and has a good brawling style. He and Lorcan got over with their wrestling ability and he should continue to do so.

Joe: Jonah, I’m convinced you’ve never seen Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch wrestle. Burch is solid, but Lorcan is FIRE. I hope your organization becomes a reality and you can officially make Marty Jannetty the commissioner, logo, and sommelier.

Jonah: I would absolutely hire Marty Jannetty just to fire him, Vince loves to do it. I’ve seen them wrestle quite a bit and I think they’re both talented, just that they’re equally talented.

Joe: Jonah, it’s impossible for me to believe that. Burch is nowhere near the level of Oney Lorcan, and you even said that Lorcan went too late at pick #32. If you thought these guys were even, why would you wait another 30 picks to take him? Come on, just admit that Burch is fine but nothing special.

63. Jonah selects Ridge Holland

Jonah: Here is an example of a great name change, because Luke Menzies is a terrible name. Holland is a former professional rugby player who’s big and looks like he would kick your ass. He’s also a pretty good looking dude, and he’s taken to wrestling pretty quickly since he’s only done it since 2016.

Joe: One of those picks that’s too early to tell much of anything with him. He hasn’t shown a ton in the ring, not a ton of personality, but at least Jonah thinks he’s cute.

Jonah: If you’re allowed to talk about guys being handsome, why can’t I?

Joe: I’m just making observations; I’m not going to stop you.

64. Joe selects Zack Gibson

Joe: People get so mad at Zack Gibson that they remove their shoes so they can stand in socks or barefoot on a nasty ass arena floor. This is way too low for Zack Gibson as he has an abusive style in the ring that is entertaining, and anybody who can generate that kind of heat is a-ok by me.

Jonah: Man this guy is super British. He did win the second NXT UK tournament and is the current NXT UK Tag Team Champion so he should have probably gone earlier. Also, getting British people to take of their shoes is apparently really easy, no wonder they lost the Revolutionary War.

65. Joe selects Brennan Williams

Joe: Brennan Williams was actually a legitimate NFL player as he was drafted in the third round by the Houston Texans. Things didn’t work out for him in football so he has since made the transition to wrestling. With the NFL background, he has tons of athleticism, and people have really gotten behind him as the “Sultan of Sit.” His big thing is just sitting down really hard in the corner, and I know that sounds stupid, but that’s because it actually is very stupid. Still, it’s really fun to chant, “Holy sit.” With the size and physical skills, he could be special, but there is definite bust potential which is why I was able to acquire him this late.

Jonah: Well Tino Sabatelli was a second round pick so I guess he’s super legitimate. Williams is a big guy with a good look who’s athletic, so plenty of potential there, but the sultan of sit thing doesn’t sound great. I mean no one can ever do it as well as Earthquake did.

66. Jonah selects Noam Dar

Jonah: Man Noam Dar was awesome when he talked about Alicia Fox. Plus we’re boys because he’s from Israel. I mean he’s also a good wrestler, plus him saying Alicia Fox is probably the most charisma I’ve seen from anyone in the last 15-20 picks.

Joe: Can’t deny that I laughed every time Noam Dar said, “Aleesha Faaaaaaaaaaaaawx,” and I was strongly considering taking him in the near future. I feel like he is one of many guys whose potential was hurt by 205 Live where a run on NXT or even NXT UK would have turned him into more of a viable threat. I know he’s been doing NXT UK stuff lately, and he has a very punchable face which is actually a good thing in pro wrestling.

As for the charisma thing, the pick before was a guy who has got the act of sitting down over, and six picks ago was Malcolm Bivens who got a WWE contract strictly based off charisma.

67. Jonah selects Aliyah

Jonah: Aliyah is young, attractive, on TV and decent in the ring. She’s of Iraqi descent, and as we all know I keep it international. She’s got potential and is already good enough to be on TV, plus I just love potential picks.

Joe: I was very happy that you went with Aliyah, who I would have liked to have, but I think her tag partner is significantly better than her.

68. Joe selects Vanessa Borne

Joe: It was clear that now was the time to pounce on Vanessa Borne who I think is very underrated in the ring. She obviously has a good look, but she has shown enough flashes that I think she will be a very good pro wrestler on top of that. I would say both her and Aliyah are still figuring out their characters, but there’s progress, and I’m looking forward to seeing how she develops in the future.

Jonah: This is a good pick, I just like what I have seen a little more out of Aliyah. Borne definitely would have been a pick in the next round for me. She’s got some good potential, I do think she needs to work on her character as “bitchy” has become quite a cliche in today’s women’s wrestling scene.

69. Joe selects Deonna Purrazzo

Joe: 69th pick is a lady, nice. But Deonna Purrazzo is also good in the ring. They haven’t quite pulled the trigger on really giving her a push on NXT TV, but I think she has the skill-set to be an important part of it and would be very surprised if she doesn’t make an impact on the main roster in a few years. I probably waited too long to take her so I feel very fortunate that she fell to me at this point.

Jonah: I was more disappointed in this pick than your other one. Deonna Purrazzo has shown good in ring skills so far. She’s got a good look and just needs a character, well and also some real TV time. Purrazzo is a steal here, good pick.

70. Jonah selects Kona Reeves

Jonah: A tip for the NXT booking team, if you’re going to repackage a guy to try and get him over, maybe don’t have him lose every match he’s in. I’m pretty sure Reeves won his first match back, but has jobbed in every other match. He does put in a good showing against guys much higher on the card than he is, which means the WWE does see some potential and will actually give him a real push at some point. His in ring skills are actually pretty good, and I like his look. I think I said this in our last draft review, but he’s better suited as a creepy heel, his eyes are freaky.

Joe: Is Kona Reeves the next CJ Parker? You can see flashes of something, but the way he’s packaged means that I do not want to see him at all. Maybe he’ll quit WWE (I’m not sure if that’s allowed anymore), go to Japan, and become Milk Stevenson.

Previously in the NXT Draft:
Picks 1-10

Picks 11-20

Picks 21-30

Picks 31-40

Picks 41-50

Picks 51-60

The Ultimate NXT Draft: Picks 51-60

We have already knocked out the first 50 picks, and I feel it's an interesting process for any NXT fan. I'm going to admit, this is probably the point where it gets weird. If you are a diehard, these next 84 picks are really going to be for you, but you only need to worry about the next 10 for now where I get so desperate that I take a manager.

51. Jonah selects Mansoor

Jonah: Mansoor is a good wrestler and he’s Saudi Arabian. That means he has a guaranteed job for the next few years. He just won a 51 man battle royal, and he’s going to continue to be able to actually show his skills so he can get a big win once or twice a year for that sweet sweet blood money.

Joe: Mansoor is fine at this range. Jonah had an unfair advantage by actually watching Super Showdown so I just found out that he won the Battle Royal. Good for him.

52. Joe selects Reina Gonzalez

Joe: It took me a long time before I took another female competitor as Jonah was reaching for every lady he could get his grubby paws on, but I’m a little more selective in my choices, so I waited until the time was right to strike. Fittingly, that describes Reina Gonzalez who is a former basketball player who is working on turning herself into a female Stan Hansen. I’m hoping she’s saving the debut of a jaw full of Copenhagen for the main roster.

Jonah: Reaching? Psssshhhh. Gonzalez is tall and has been pretty good in the limited amount of times I’ve seen her in the ring. If she does get a fat dip in her lip, she’ll be a much higher pick in the redraft by me, because that’s something I can respect.

53. Joe selects DJZ/Joaquin Wilde

Joe: While Jonah tried to corner the market on every ovary available, I went with every Indy darling available. DJZ had made quite a name for himself without the WWE, so it’ll be fun to see what he can do within the system.

Jonah: I’m not sure if I would call DJZ/Joaquin Wilde an indy darling. He was in TNA for the past seven years. He’s a good wrestler, but he’s a 205 Live guy for sure. Like I said he’s good in the ring, so not a bad choice here.

Joe: The man won the Todd Pettingill Invitational, so yeah, I’d say he’s got plenty of indy street cred. (Full disclosure: I biffed my analysis on this one. DJZ probably got mentioned on like one episode of The Art of Wrestling, and I was convinced he was an Indy guy, whoopsies)

54. Jonah selects Steve Cutler

Jonah: Steve Cutler has been around forever. He’s also a former marine and I mark for the armed forces. He’s actually a good wrestler with decent size and a decent look, he just needs a gimmick to get over. Luckily I have the perfect gimmick for him. Inspired by Steve Adamle’s call of ‘The Cutler did it” turn him into Steve “The Butler” Cutler. Instant World Champ.

Joe: There are only so many ways to say that one of Jonah’s picks are fine, so I’m just going to copy and paste from Wikipedia, “Steve Cutler (born 28 July 1960) is an Australian former state and national representative rugby union player who represented Australia in 40 test matches between 1982 and 1991.[1] He is a former senior vice president and chief operating officer of Kendle International, an international contract research organization. He previously worked as head of global project management for Quintiles.” To recap, he’s almost 60 years old, and Wesley Blake only tags with Australians.

55. Jonah selects Xia Li

Jonah: I keep it international, so I want Xia Li the first Chinese women’s wrestler in the WWE. She was talented enough to get a spot in the 2019 Women’s Royal Rumble and I expect her to get a lot more TV time soon.

Joe: Xia Li is so bad in the ring that I didn’t take Karen Q, because I couldn’t remember which one I really didn’t like. She wasn’t talented enough to make the Royal Rumble, she was Chinese enough, like Tian Bing before her, it’s not exactly a sign of great success.

56. Joe selects Humberto Carrillo

Joe: Good looking guy who is good in the ring, with a 100% chance that his name is shortened to Carrillo in the next year.

Jonah: Carrillo is a pretty handsome dude who is a good wrestler. Not sure if he’ll do anything noteworthy in NXT, but he should be able to carve out a good spot for himself on 205 Live.

57. Joe selects Robert Strauss

Joe: The former Robbie E has been hanging with my Australian duo on the Florida house show loop, but this is a guy with a good look who can talk, so the WWE has a lot of different options with him.

Jonah: Look I hate anyone who even has a gimmick associated with the Jersey Shore. He does have a good look and he can talk, but I have an unnatural hate of him so enjoy Joe.

58.Jonah selects Jessamyn Duke

Jonah: Duke was a pretty good MMA prospect before she started training with Ronda Rousey. Still, that athleticism and amateur background should help her make the transition to professional wrestling. Hopefully Rousey can help her with the trash talking and professional wrestling, and I felt like I needed the other Horsewomen since I took Baszler earlier.

Joe: The most positive thing I can say about Jessamyn Duke is that she’s not as bad as your next pick.

59. Jonah selects Marina Shafir

Jonah: Shafir is the other Horsewoman I needed to have three of the four. She is good at Judo and armbars like her buddy Rousey, so hopefully that translates into her being skilled at professional wrestling as well. She’s also married to Roderick Strong, so I assume she’s awesome at backbreakers too.

Joe: The nicest thing I can say about Marina Shafir is...

60. Joe selects Malcolm Bivens

Joe: The man formerly known as Stokely Hathaway was one of the most surprising signings the WWE made, but it’s not due to lack of talent, it’s what that talent is. Bivens is a manager, plain and simple. He can take a bump, but he is out there to stir up heat, and he does it incredibly well. Outside of Paul Heyman, the WWE has made managers an endangered species, but this is a guy who has the talent to bring it back. He can compel a crowd, and he will quickly become a guy that you love to hate.

Jonah: I love managers, but just couldn’t see myself taking one this early. I hope the WWE actually uses him because there’s so much talent on the roster, but not everyone can talk. Based on his name I assume he’s a big fan of Bel Biv Davoe which also makes him awesome.

Previously in the NXT Draft:
Picks 1-10

Picks 11-20

Picks 21-30

Picks 31-40

Picks 41-50

The Ultimate NXT Draft: Picks 41-50

Yesterday, we left off with an Australian, and today we start with one while finishing with someone totally forgettable.

41. Joe selects Jermaine Haley

Joe: Jermaine Haley, who used to be known as Jonah Rock, also comes to the WWE from the land down under. He is the opposite of Vink as he is most certainly not a body guy, but he has built up quite the reputation as an incredible wrestler who knows how to put on entertaining matches. I’ve only seen a little bit of his work online and the one time he squashed Rik Bugez in 30 seconds, but the splash from the top rope looked great, and I think he has the talent to make an impact.

Jonah: He’s a big dude with the dopest former name ever. Again, if he was listed as Jonah Rock he would have been taken by me 5 rounds earlier. Anyone with the name Jonah Rock will be a huge success.

42. Jonah selects Killer Kelly

Jonah: Close to the talent level of Toni Storm and Rhea Ripley, but not booked nearly as well. Killer Kelly is another woman I expect to legitimately be the future of women’s professional wrestling. Fun fact, she’s the first Portuguese wrestler in the WWE. Great look, great gimmick, great name talented in the ring, great pick.

Joe: I have never seen Killer Kelly wrestle. I saw one photo of her on Google Images and made her my lowest rated female wrestler. She just looked like a jobber to me. Maybe it was a bad angle?

Jonah: Must have been, she’s a long ways from unattractive.

43. Jonah selects Cezar Bononi

Jonah: Cezar Bononi was named the future star of NXT in 2017, he’ll get there soon. He’s a good looking big dude with lots of muscles. He’s got the Brazilian market on lock down too. I went really international in my picks, so I’m happy that my show will dominate internationally. Anyways, Bononi has a good look and he’s good in the ring, honestly he should break out of the pack soon.

Joe: Jonah, your optimism about the WWE developmental talent is a wonderful contrast to your hatred in the abilities of the people tasked to actually develop that talent. Bononi is fine, but do we know he’s good in the ring? What’s your favorite Cezar Bononi match?

Jonah: You know me, Joe, ever the optimist. My favorite match of his was against Andrade, and Andrade is a stud, but he’s still a handsome Brazilian.

44. Joe selects Jordan Devlin

Joe: Although Jonah was busy scooping up ladies from every country he could find them, there had been 26 picks since the last male wrestler from NXT UK was taken in Tyler Bate. I broke the streak by going with Jordan Devlin who is endless energy in the ring and put on a really fun match with Finn Balor during NXT UK’s first Takeover event. If they are willing to bust out Finn Balor as a last second surprise replacement, either Finn or WWE management must think pretty highly of him, and I think that it is well-deserved in what I have seen from him so far.

Jonah: He’s a poor man’s Finn Balor, which I assume means he still does pretty darn well with the ladies. I’ve only ever seen him against Finn Balor, and that match was pretty good, but Finn Balor is pretty good against everyone. Honestly, this is a solid pick here, not much trash to talk.

45.Joe selects Wesley Blake

Joe: I dream that one day Wesley Blake will revert back to Beautiful Blake, who I don’t believe ever made an appearance on WWE television but absolutely stole the show at a small event in Largo, Florida where he wore white jeans and called everyone garbage about two dozen times. Worst case scenario, he can be my Bizzaro Hangman Page.

Jonah: Blake is a really good wrestler who couldn’t make it on tv for a few years after he dropped the tag titles. Honestly his new gimmick is pretty stupid, but whatever gets him on TV is a good idea for him. This Beautiful Blake gimmick sounds like a license to print money, I mean he knocked up and married Sara Lee, so maybe there’s something to it.

46. Jonah selects Drew Gulak

Jonah: I really like a gimmick of a cruiserweight who hates ariel maneuvers. He’s also a very talented mat wrestler and his Powerpoint presentations were amazing, he was “Boring” Lance Storm done even better. Plus he’s got a good look. The fact that he can’t get a push isn’t his fault. If only there was somewhere he could go where being a good wrestler who happens to be a little smaller wasn’t a bad thing. I’m very happy with this pick.

Joe: I like Drew Gulak too. He’s solid, high floor, low ceiling guy, but nothing wrong with having a guy like that on your roster. I was definitely considering him in this range.

47. Jonah selects Sam Shaw Dexter Lumas

Jonah: Here’s a guy who will make his NXT TV debut soon. He’s a big guy with a good look who played a “crazy” character well in TNA. Does his brand new name mean he will be a crazy Dexteresque character in NXT? We’ll see, but he’s got the talent, look and experience to do well.

Joe: It 100% means he is going to play the character of Dexter. WWE has the subtlety of a shovel to the face. I saw this guy once in person, and I did like him. He was different than most of the other talents which is always something that will pique my interest. I was hoping to snag him later, but it was not meant to be. Also, Jonah, I’m kind of amazed you know this much about TNA, but also that you are sticking with TNA instead of calling it by Impact Wrestling. I do not watch it and am still convinced that it is TNA, and that it has six-appeal.

Jonah: I will never call TNA anything but TNA, you shouldn’t have worn that pitard if you didn’t want to be hoisted by it.

48. Joe selects Trent Seven

Joe: Trent Seven is just fun to watch. It’s goofy and stupid, but it’s always fun, and he has plenty of actual skill to mix in the goofy with good wrestling. Sometimes it’s good to just have fun wrestlers, and him dropping this far is kind of incredible.

Jonah: I like Trent Seven, but he’s so old he trained Tyler Bate. He’s also pretty chubby, and I don’t need any old chubby guys on my roster. He’s charismatic and a good wrestler, but you can have him.

Joe: I’ll admit, having the chance to see him on back-to-back nights when Progress did their US tour really turned me around on him. I was more on your side with things, but seeing the guy in person made me a fan as everybody enjoys watching him wrestle. He also seems to understand psychology more than 95% of the WWE roster.

49. Joe selects Akira Tozawa

Joe: And here’s a guy who can kick your face off, and could be the modern-day Tajiri with the right push. Akira Tozawa is definitely one of those guys that is best appreciated in person as opposed to on TV.

Jonah: They really should have kept this guy in Titus Worldwide, because he needs a mouthpiece. He’s good in the ring and this is a good pick for Joe.

50. Jonah selects Jaxson Ryker

Jonah: Apparently I’m super high on former TNA wrestlers. In all fairness, they were really good at signing excellent people, just not using them correctly. He’s a big dude who looks intimidating and intense. He’s also a former NWA World Champion. He’s not the greatest wrestler in the world, but he’s certainly passable. I’m guessing he’ll get a pretty big singles push after he breaks away from the Forgotten Sons.

Joe: “He’s certainly passable” was my strategy on Jaxson Ryker in this draft. I would have continued to pass on him, because he’s not very good at anything outside of balding.

Previously in the NXT Draft:
Picks 1-10

Picks 11-20

Picks 21-30

Picks 31-40

The Ultimate NXT Draft: Picks 31-40

It has been three years since Jonah and I did an NXT Fantasy Draft to make our picks of who are going to be the next great superstars in the WWE. Then, about six months ago, we reviewed all of the picks to figure out what went right and what went wrong. We realized three things through this process. First off, very few wrestlers are in NXT from that original draft, and even the ones that are have changed dramatically over the last few years. Second, and more importantly for the strategy of this draft, is that we realized we cannot rely on WWE success to determine the strength of our selections as many of their creative decisions do not optimize their talent. So this draft is not predicting future success as much as it is drafting the wrestlers that we would want to build our organization around. Finally, we decided to be inclusive in this draft so not only will we have NXT and all of the wrestlers at the Performance Center, but we will include everyone over in NXT UK and even 205 Live since all of them are still working to progress in their career.

We've now made it to picks 31-40, where we really have to start going more with projection than results.

31. Jonah selects Taynara Conti

Jonah: Another one of my favorites like Dakota Kai is, there’s just something about Taynara Conti that’s awesome. She’s super cute and she could destroy the vast majority of the roster in a shoot. Like Kai she just needs some actual TV exposure, so I guess let’s make them a tag team on my new show. She is also only 25, so she has a long career ahead of her.

Joe: Jonah, I decided to make you mentioning ages a drinking game, and I have died three times from alcohol poisoning. I like Conti too and am surprised she hasn’t been given more TV time. It may be a good thing as they might actually wait for her to develop more to give her a strong push when she finally becomes a thing. I like her more than Dakota Kai, but she still has a lot of development to do.

Jonah: Number one get your tolerance up, Nancy. Two, I told you, I’m about the future. Three, Conti is just plain awesome.

32. Joe selects Oney Lorcan

Joe: Oney Lorcan is nonstop action in the ring. He’s been put in the ring with every level of competition in NXT, and his matches are always somewhere between good and great. He’s probably not a future world champion, but I would be very surprised if he wasn’t a champion of some sort in the future.

Jonah: Is he Total Nonstop Action in the ring? Lorcan is a very good wrestler, but he still looks super generic to me. He rarely talks which makes me think he’s not a great promo, but like I said he is a very good wrestler. This is really too late for him to go, but I had some people I really wanted so I went with my favorites.

33. Joe selects Shane Thorne

Joe: Shane Thorne is a guy who has gotten lost in the shuffle recently when his tag team partner, Nick Miller (now back to being Mikey Nicholls) left to wrestle for New Japan. But Thorne was always the star of the team, and he’s shown some incredible things as part of a tag team. It will be interesting to see whether they try to find him a tag partner or let him spread his wings as a singles competitor. Either way, the guy has a great look, great in ring work, and has experience cutting promos. I could see him rising really high or getting released from the company altogether, but the talent is there. It’s just a matter of finding the right spot.

Jonah: Shane Thorne is definitely underutilized. I was a big fan of The Mighty Don’t Kneel because they were a great team and that name is unbelievably awesome. I thought the heel turn was a little odd and hurt them as they had really gotten over as babyfaces by being great in the ring. He’s got a good look and should be successful when they find a good place for him.

Joe: I actually liked the heel turn and think that’s where Thorne’s future is. He’s a good-looking Australian guy, just typing that sentence pisses me off a little bit.

Jonah: Go to Australia, they think people with American accents are fascinating.

34. Jonah selects Cameron Grimes

Jonah: Cameron Grimes is super talented in the ring and has a very unique look. Great cruiserweights don’t look like dirty hobos, so I’m excited to get Grimes here. You may know him as Trevor Lee, a guy that dominated the TNA X Division for quite some time. I did not expect him to be able to wrestle like he did when I saw him, so he was immediately interesting. He’s 25, and could be a main event player on 205 Live right now. He’s not the biggest indy name around, but I really like him and think he’s going to do well for himself.

Joe: I’ve heard good things about Grimes but don’t have much knowledge of him myself. From what I’ve heard, this is a good pick, and I would have considered him in a few rounds had he still been on the board.

35. Jonah selects Chelsea Green

Jonah: Chelsea Green AKA Laurel Van Ness has actually been in the WWE before. I personally witnessed her debut in Portland on an episode of RAW as Daniel Bryan’s physical therapist that they were going to try and run an affair angle with. The crowd rightly shit all over it and she disappeared to TNA to hone her craft. She plays the crazy gimmick well, though I’m not a huge fan of the women be crazy gimmick itself. She’s got a good look, is good in the ring and has experience on national TV. She’s also engaged to a Broski, so you know she’s cool as hell.

Joe: I will say I was a little disappointed that you took Chelsea Green. She was next for me for available women in the draft, because she actually has shown personality. I feel like she should get a good push out of the gate when she is able to come back from injury.

36. Joe selects Bobby Fish

Joe: And somehow, someway, I managed to unite the entire Undisputed Era. Poor Bobby Fish is getting up there in age, and he has suffered numerous injuries since coming to NXT, but the guy is still a talent as he continues to put on great performances in tag matches but has so much experience that he can easily put on a great singles match as well. You can put him in there with anybody and be entertained, and that is Undisputed.

Jonah: I’ll be honest, I thought I had taken Bobby Fish about five rounds before he was taken, but I apparently only did that in my mind. Fish is a good wrestler, a good promo, and has a good look but man does he get hurt all the time. He’s been in NXT for two years and he’s been injured three quarters of the time including currently. I mean I can’t really trash the pick, because like I said I thought he was already on my roster.

37. Joe selects Riddick Moss

Joe: Did you see what this man did at the WWE PC Combine? He ANNIHILATED the competition. There is no conceivable way that it will not go down as the greatest athletic performance in Performance Center history, and this is a man who is less than a year removed from a ruptured achilles. The Riddick Regimen. It just worked now as it taught me that Regimen and Regiment are two different words. I actually am excited about his future, because he’s finally starting to show off a personality, and if he can really translate the athletic gifts to his in-ring work, he could turn into a hell of a talent.

Jonah: Look Moss is a big boy who’s a great athlete, but he don’t got that back meat like Sabatelli. He may be more athletic, but I already mentioned I don’t think he has near the charisma that Sabatelli does either. For the sake of both guy’s careers I’m willing to put the team back together using the Wildcard rule.

Joe: Jonah, you do realize that charisma is different than “ridiculous glute muscles,” because that’s all the charisma that Tino has shown. Riddick Moss has the Riddick Regimen, which is also not much right now, but I could see myself nodding along in a few months with how everybody’s doing the Riddick Regimen, or it will end up like Bull Dempsey’s fitness program. Either way, Riddick Moss will always be the greatest PC Combiner of all time.

Jonah: Charisma is whatever gets you over my friend, and the Riddick Regimen gimmick was him taking a break mid match to take a drink of water or a protein shake or something. The good news is it generated zero heat and he lost to a jobber.

38. Jonah selects Angelo Dawkins

Jonah: I knew I’d end up with my boy the other half of the Street Profits Angelo Dawkins. Joe isn’t high on him, but I think even he has to admit this is pretty damn late for an NXT Tag Team Champion to be picked. He’s been in developmental forever, but here’s the thing, he actually developed. Dawkins doesn’t have the charisma that Montez Ford does, but very few do. He’s a big boy with a legitimate athletic background. I know Joe’s not a fan, but Dawkins has legitimate potential for success.

Joe: Congratulations. You got the most Marty Jannetty tag partner since Marty Jannetty. I do like Dawkins, but he’s just a solid hand, so it’s tough for me to envision a bright future for the guy.

39. Jonah selects Jazzy Gabert

Jonah: Another homer female pick by me, Jazzy Gabert was actually a very early follower of my podcast so I had to make sure she ended up on my show. Beyond the loyalty, man what a look she has. She looks like an absolute monster that could destroy anyone she steps into the ring with. You may also remember her from the first Mae Young Classic where after her loss the crowd chanted “Sign Jazzy” in response to her impressive in ring performance. The WWE finally did, and although she’s 37, she’s someone who will absolutely be booked as a monster. She’s also 1-1 in MMA, so besides being huge and being able to put on a good match she can also shoot just in case.

Joe: I knew Jonah loved Jazzy, so I didn’t even bother doing any research on her as I knew she was not going to end up on my roster. I still have not done any research, but now I know she’s 37.

Jonah: All you need to know about her is she recognized my genius early, that makes her pretty smart in her own right.

40. Joe selects Brendan Vink

Joe: Australian Elliot Sexton, now known as Brendan Vink, but I know of him as my arch nemesis, as he once responded to my heckling by sexually harassing me by shaking his ass in my face at a PROGRESS show in Seattle. Luckily, Brody King beat him up for me that night. This is a case where you keep your friends close and your enemies closer. This dude is absolutely massive, and he is still wearing very tiny trunks while shaking his ass in front of fan’s faces, so that part has definitely not changed. Even before he signed with the WWE, he seemed like the most WWE guy available with his size and incredible charisma. It was kind of surprising that more people weren’t talking about Elliot Sexton. He will absolutely never be a babyface, but he is an ideal heel, and when he makes his television debut, I expect him to get a major push in NXT.

Jonah: He’s a handsome, cut Australian man. I guess I’m sorry he sexually harassed you, odd that you drafted him after that. If you ever want revenge on him just put him in the ring with anyone on my roster and they’ll destroy him.

Previously in the NXT Draft:
Picks 1-10

Picks 11-20

Picks 21-30